On India visit, Ukrainian minister says supporting Kyiv ‘right choice’ for world leader

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said supporting Kyiv is the “only right choice” for a true world leader as she hailed India’s leadership in the international community on Monday.

Dzhaparova, who is on a four-day visit to India, is the first Ukrainian minister to visit the South Asian country after the Russian invasion began in February last year.

India has tried to strike a delicate balance when it comes to the ongoing war in Europe, as it seeks to avoid provoking Russia and maintain its expanding relations with the West while also sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

“Today, India wants to be the Vishwaguru, the global teacher and arbiter. In our case, we’ve got a very clear picture: aggressor against innocent victim. Supporting Ukraine is the only right choice for true Vishwaguru,” Dzhaparova tweeted on Monday, using the Hindi term for “world leader.”

Ukraine is hoping for a more intense political dialogue with India, Dzhaparova told reporters after talks in New Delhi with Sanjay Verma, a secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

“(There is) the question of India’s involvement as a leader in the global south, as a G20 presidency,” Dzhaparova said. “I think that we hope that India would be involved and engaged into global issues and challenges — economic challenges, energy challenges, nuclear challenges, to a great extent because (the) Ukrainian issue is a litmus paper today.”

Dzhaparova’s visit is bringing the spotlight back on India as a possible mediator in the ongoing war, which has killed more than 8,200 people and injured over 13,700 others, according to UN data published in March.

“This visit is an important one because India, I think, remains one of the few countries that has in some ways been able to retain its contacts with both sides in the war,” Harsh V. Pant, head of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, said.

“For Ukraine, perhaps India is more reliable than China, which for obvious reasons is seen as being in Russia’s corner,” he said. “Therefore, given India’s equities with Russia, perhaps this is a moment for Ukraine to both underscore its position on this matter as well as to encourage India to do more on the Russia-Ukraine question.”

Over a year since the war began, India’s potential as a peacemaker is still on the table, according to Prof. Ummu Salma Bawa of the Centre for European Studies at the Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“India can offer diplomatic support and other inputs for infrastructure vitally needed for Ukraine’s redevelopment. India has good relations with Russia, and any channel that can open the possibility to bring peace will be explored,” Bawa said.

Ukraine recognizes India’s power on the global stage, particularly as it chairs the G20 biggest economies this year and its engagements with both the West and Russia, she said.

“One year after the start of the war, Ukraine is keen to see the war end,” she added. “Engaging with countries who have good diplomatic relations on all sides like India is also important for Ukraine.”